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Sunday, January 1, 2012

B4: 2012 BCS National Championship Game - Alabama vs. LSU

Big Band Bowl Battle (B4) Disclaimer: Whenever possible, I tried to post band videos on equal footing; that is, amateur vs. amateur, professional vs. professional, pregame vs. pregame, halftime vs. halftime, and so on. I am, of course, limited to that which is available on YouTube. While I can appreciate if I selected a video that doesn't portray your band in the best light, keep in mind B4 is for entertainment purposes only. Thanks for stopping by!

By the time the BCS National Championship Game is played, we will have had over a month to tell the story's we've all heard: There shouldn't be a rematch. Alabama didn't even win its division. They had their shot. The first game was boring. This is why we need a playoff. Rest assured, neither Alabama, LSU, their respective fanbases, or most of the Southeastern United States give a damn about any of that. They're each fired up to meet a familiar foe in perhaps the capital of the SEC West on college football's grandest stage.

The football matchup will hopefully have a slightly different tenor than the 9-6 overtime defensive struggle earlier in the year, but the band matchup certainly will. The Golden Band from Tigerland only sent a pep band to Tuscaloosa for the earlier matchup, while the Million Dollar Band was at full strength, possibly boasting more band fronts than LSU had members that day. Each band will be in full force in New Orleans, not just in the Superdome, but all over town. With a game of this caliber, expect each of these Sudler Trophy recipients to have a busy engagement calendar. Both bands will likely hit the French Quarter (possibly both on official business and recreational time) and strains of Hold that Tiger and Yea, Alabama will be heard throughout the Big Easy. And while LSU has a home state advantage, I'm sure Tide fans will roulent into NO in droves as well. There's no questioning the acumen of either football team or band. This is truly a national championship caliber matchup for all 80 minutes.

A few items of note: While Alabama uses the Million Dollar Band moniker, this will truly be a million dollar matchup. Travel, hotel, and most notably the seats that each band will have to purchase to occupy for the game itself, the pricetag for this game between the two bands will be nearly one million dollars (h/t to Dave over at Tailgating Ideas for pointing that one out to me).

Secondly, a pair of Sudler Trophy-winning bands have met in the BCS Championship game three times before. Each of those previous matchups included one of the teams that will play on Monday night. The Golden Band from Tigerland has twice marched into the Superdome against another Sudler winner with a national championship on the line; they faced the Pride of Oklahoma in 2004 and TBDBITL in 2008. The Million Dollar Band made their way to the pinnacle of pageantry, facing Texas' Showband of the Southwest in the Rose Bowl in 2010. In each case, the teams linked to these bands emerged with a championship.